Review: Concert, organist leaves fan ‘happy as a clam’

First Methodist Church of Oak Ridge has a jewel in its Moeller pipe organ, which boasts 2,795 pipes, three manuals and 49 ranks. It is always a thrill when the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association features it in a concert such as the superfine program presented Saturday night.

First Methodist Church of Oak Ridge has a jewel in its Moeller pipe organ, which boasts 2,795 pipes, three manuals and 49 ranks. It is always a thrill when the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association features it in a concert such as the superfine program presented Saturday night.

Dan Allcott, ORCMA’s director and conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, is inviting Tennesseans to fill the guest artist spots this season, hence the moniker “Tennessee Sounds Good to Me.” Who better to sound good on the mighty Moeller than multi-award-winning Knoxville native Malcolm Matthews? He is the student who at age 11 “wowed” fellow organists at a master class, playing a Mendelssohn Sonata with the maturity, expression, and facility of organists twice his age.

Maestro Allcott chose Poulenc’s powerful “Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings in G minor” for Matthews’ homecoming performance. The top-level rendition appeared last on the program, but since I am aiming for biblical correctness, the last shall come first in this exalting review.

Poulenc’s orchestrations and scoring for organ and timpani are peerless, and Matthews’ colorful registrations were well chosen. They were often gentle and mellow, but when the time came for full organ, nothing was held back. Matthews was equally adept at controlling the dynamics, not an easy task on a three manual organ with additional foot pedals to navigate.

The concerto with seven continuous movements had multiple contrasts in tempo and mood. We loved it when the orchestra’s big climaxes, laced with exciting strident chords and romantic lyricism, gave way to solo organ. It sounded as if a family of woodwinds was suddenly performing a cappella. Occasionally the majestic organ declamations sounded like Bach. At other times, the modern orchestrations brought Stravinsky to mind. Perhaps this is the time to heed Poulenc’s advice: “Don’t analyze my music — love it!” To love it also meant loving the way our super talented Maestro Allcott inspired everybody to give their all, loving the beautiful way Robyn James played her viola solo, and loving the dynamism created by timpanist Scott Eddlemon. We all know that a well-placed timpani roll can excite like few other instruments, yet sometimes it is the mellow melodic functions or the haunting off beats that send the chills up the spine. As always, Eddlemon was always on cue.

Opening the program was Monteverdi’s “Sinfonie E Ritotnelli” from “Incidental Music to Orfeo.” Monteverdi’s music fits between two traditions — Renaissance and baroque. The pioneer opera composer gives us transitional music — the kind one might hear between scenes or the kind that accompanies action. He would have us picturing nymphs and shepherds or hearing heavy-voiced instruments bringing us tragic news. All of this opera telling is “acted” out by the orchestra. Furthermore, if you heard players “singing” madrigals you were not hallucinating. The tonal beauty and the Gabrieli type cadences were never lost on us. All was good.

Page 2 of 2 - There was no cause to raise eyebrows during Elliott Carter’s “Elegy” or Phillip Glass’ “Company.” Carter’s neo-classical “Elegy” was surprisingly lyrical, even calm and introspective. We think we heard some Samuel Barber influences in the beautifully expanded melodies. Playing with pleasing warmth, the orchestra made a good case for Tennessee sounds good to me.

Minimalist Phillip Glass’ alluring pulse and evolving melodies pull us hypnotically into his music scheme. His “Company” in four movements was characteristically repetitive with ostinatos and evolving melodies. We particularly enjoyed the Indian and African flavors along with the undercurrent of harmonic rhythms akin to pop and rock.

Rounding out the program was George Gershwin’s “Lullaby for Strings,” originally a homework exercise. If all exercises were that pretty, we might enjoy practicing more. How lovely was the harmony coming to us like human voices singing in harmonic thirds or sixths.

Saturday night’s concert in an aesthetically appealing sanctuary on a snowy but beautiful Saturday evening did not even hint at the routine, and this ORCMA fan went home happy as a clam.